Conventional technology in the field of helmets is abundant. Types of helmets are chosen depending on their purpose. For example, helmets may be used in military and communications applications in addition to sporting events. In the sporting arena, helmets may be tailored to specialized events such as boxing, bicycling, motorcycling, flying, skydiving, baseball, canoeing, and the list goes on. Various events require helmets that protect an individual from multiple continuous impact forces or perhaps one debilitating impact force to the head and neck. The purpose of the helmet is to protect an individual, but, unfortunately the construction of the conventional helmet is not geared to protect based upon specific impact forces.
Types of helmets vary even more than the events for which they are used. Unfortunately, conventional helmet technology does not always effectively absorb impact forces, nor do they properly decelerate and spread forces laterally from the point of impact. Instead, the impact force too often goes directly through the helmet to the person's head and, in severe cases, down the person's spine, resulting in an injury. Conventional technology recognizes the need for padding within helmets for protection and comfort, but a detailed construction that allows the material make up of the helmet to shift and absorb continuous impact forces or one intense impact force is not sufficiently effective in conventional helmets.
Conventional technology also offers helmets with face guards. A face guard's main purpose is to allow a player to see and breathe, while simultaneously protecting the player. Unfortunately, face guards can be pulled, wrenched and twisted, resulting in neck injuries. Conventional technology offers face guards that break away after a predetermined amount of force is exerted. However, this predetermined force may change to a lesser force after repeated breaks from the helmet and become an annoyance. Moreover the predetermined force is usually set at a large value which may fail to protect a player from repeated experiences at a lesser force.